Avocent AMX Switch Series Installation and maintenance instructions

Installer/User Guide
AMX™Series

INSTRUCTIONS
This symbol is intended to alert the user to the presence of important
operating and maintenance (servicing) instructions in the literature
accompanying the appliance.
DANGEROUS VOLTAGE
This symbol is intended to alert the user to the presence of uninsulated
dangerous voltage within the product’s enclosure that may be of sufficient
magnitude to constitute a risk of electric shock to persons.
POWER ON
This symbol indicates the principal on/off switch is in the on position.
POWER OFF
This symbol indicates the principal on/off switch is in the off position.
PROTECTIVE GROUNDING TERMINAL
This symbol indicates a terminal which must be connected to earth ground
prior to making any other connections to the equipment.

Avocent, the Avocent logo, AMX, AMWorks, OSCAR and The
Power of Being There are trademarks or registered trademarks
of Avocent Corporation or its affliates. All other marks are the
property of their respective owners.
© 2003 Avocent Corporation. All rights reserved.
AMX™Series
Installer/User Guide

USA Notification
Warning: Changes or modifications to this unit not expressly approved by the party
responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate the equipment.
Note: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital
device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable
protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial
environment. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if
not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful
interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is
likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the
interference at his own expense.
Canadian Notification
This digital apparatus does not exceed the Class A limits for radio noise emissions from
digital apparatus set out in the Radio Interference Regulations of the Canadian Department
of Communications.
Le présent appareil numérique n’émet pas de bruits radioélectriques dépassant les limites
applicables aux appareils numériques de la classe A prescrites dans le Règlement sur le
brouillage radioélectrique édicté par le Ministère des Communications du Canada.
Japanese Approvals
Agency Approvals
EN55022 Class A, EN55024, EN61000-3-2, EN61000-3-3, EN60950, FCC 47CFR Part15 Class A,
CSA C22.2 No. 60950, IEC 60950, FCC 15 Class A, UL 60950 third edition, VCCI Class A

Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Product Overview
Features and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Component Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Chapter 2: Installation
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installing an AMX System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Installing a Tiered AMX System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Configuring the AMX Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Configuring an AMX Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
FLASH Upgrading the AMX System . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Chapter 3: Basic Operations
Power Up and LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
User Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
OSCAR Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Selecting Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
Keyboard Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Chapter 4: Advanced Operations
User Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Server Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Console Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Chapter 5: Terminal Operations
Accessing the Terminal Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Appendices
Appendix A: Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . 51
Appendix B: Using AMIQ-SRL Modules . . . . . . . . . 56
Appendix C: Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

Contents
Product Overview
1
Features and Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Component Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Safety Precautions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Chapter 1: Product Overview 3
Chapter 1: Product Overview
Features and Benefits
The Avocent AMX™ Series of products allows multiple users within the
switching system to access and operate PC, USB or Sun servers and serial
devices at the same time. A basic AMX system configuration connects users
and servers to one or more AMX switches. Any user in the system can access
any attached server or serial device by simply switching to it through an
AMX switch.
NOTE: References to the AMX unit and AMX switch are used interchangeably in this
user guide.
An AMX system consists of one or more rack mountable AMX switches, the
Avocent matrix user station and the Avocent matrix intelligent module(s)
AMIQ. The AMX switch is equipped with Avocent’s patented On-Screen
Configuration Activity Reporting (OSCAR®) interface, allowing you to use your
keyboard or mouse to select any attached server or serial device. Also supplied
with each AMX is AMWorks™, the standalone administration utility used to
administer naming and access information for attached users and servers.
Multiplatform
The AMX Series features multiplatform capabilities, enabling your switching
system to simultaneously support any combination of PC, USB or Sun servers
and serial devices. The AMX switch permits easy access across platforms with a
PS/2 or Sun keyboard and mouse. Operated through the AMX system, a PC
keyboard and mouse can operate a Sun server as easily as a Sun keyboard and
mouse can operate an attached PC.
Advanced video compensation
The AMX user station provides advanced video compensation that maximizes
video quality to support long distance communications. The video
compensation feature automatically compensates for any losses in video signal
to the user station.
Multiuser
The AMX Series allows “matrix switching,” enabling multiple users to have
simultaneous access to different servers and serial devices in the system. For
example, an AMX system with four users accessing four different servers is a
4 x 4 matrix. Eight users accessing 10 different servers would be an 8 x 10 matrix.

4AMX Series Installer/User Guide
Sharing
If two or more users need access to the same server or serial device, they can
share access through the AMX Series units. Sharing enables multiple users to
switch to the same server at the same time. All connected users can see the
server’s video, but only one user can enter data at any given moment.
Expansion capability
The expansion capability of your AMX switch depends on the AMX product
installed in your system. If your total number of servers is greater than 32
(supported by the AMX5000) or 64 (supported by the AMX5010), you can
connect multiple AMX switches together to give dozens of users control of
hundreds of servers from one set of peripherals. For additional flexibility, you
can attach other Avocent keyboard, video and mouse (KVM) switches to the
AMX as well. Refer to Chapter 2 for additional information on tiering an
AMX system.
OSCAR graphic user interface
Using the OSCAR interface, you can select any attached system computer
through your keyboard or mouse. The OSCAR interface supports multilevel
security with password protection, enabling you to control how much access
users have to each server in your data center. For additional security, OSCAR
can be configured to log out after a user-defined period of inactivity. When the
time-out is reached, the current channel is deselected and the screen goes
blank. Users must log in again to access system servers.
AMWorks utility
AMWorks is the standalone administration utility supplied with each AMX.
This utility is used to assign names to attached servers and administer
naming and access information for attached users. You can also use
AMWorks to configure AMX installations remotely, eliminating the need to
configure each unit separately. In addition, AMWorks enables you to monitor
and report on all system and switching events and activities.
Component Overview
An AMX system consists of four main components:
• One or more AMX switches
• Avocent matrix user station(s)

Chapter 1: Product Overview 5
• Avocent matrix intelligent module(s) (AMIQ or AMIQ-SRL)
• UTP cables
The quantity and type of components you receive depends on the specific
configuration you order.
The AMX switch
The AMX switch provides the framework for the AMX system. The AMX5000
allows eight users to connect to up to 32 computers and occupies only 1U of
rack space. The AMX5010 allows 16 users to connect to up to 64 computers
and occupies 2U of rack space. Both units can be tiered to connect larger
system configurations. Both units store a full database of user rights and
computer names and communicate with the AMWorks system management
utility via an IP (Internet Protocol) port.
33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 61
62 63 64
49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
910111213141516
AMX5000
AMX5010
Number
of
users
Number
of
computers
Rack
space
8
16
up to 32 1U
up to 64 2U
Figure 1.1: AMX5000/5010 Model Comparison
The AMX user station
The AMX user station (AMX5100, AMX5110 or AMX5120) is the interface
between the AMX switch and system users. It provides the OSCAR interface
for server selection and administration, as well as full compensation for
video degradation. The AMX user station is housed in a desktop mounting
unit that may also act as a monitor stand.
The AMX5100 user station provides one RJ-45 port, enabling the connection
of one AMX switch. The AMX5110 and AMX5120 user stations provide two
RJ-45 ports, enabling the connection of one AMX switch and one or two
AMIQ modules. Connections to two separate switches are not supported on
the AMX5110 or the AMX5120 user station. The AMX5120 provides skew
compensation that maximizes video quality.

6AMX Series Installer/User Guide
64 Servers
AMX5110
User Station
AMX5010 Switch
16 Users
AMIQ
Module
UTP Cables
Figure 1.2: Typical AMX Configuration
The AMX intelligent module
The AMIQ provides the primary interface between an attached device (KVM
switch or PS/2, Sun or USB server) and the AMX system. It provides all Keep
Alive, keyboard emulation, DDC (Digital Data Channel) and AMX support in a
server-powered convenient module format.
The AMIQ-SRL (serial) is a DCE (Data Communication Equipment) device
that provides the primary interface between a serial device and the AMX
system. It provides VT100 terminal emulation, break suppression and port
history in a convenient module format. For information on using the AMIQ-
SRL, refer to Appendix B.
These modules eliminate the need for extra rack spaces or additional cables.
For ease of installation, each AMIQ has a factory-assigned unique number that

Chapter 1: Product Overview 7
identifies the attached server within the system. The connection between the
AMX system and these modules is through industry standard UTP cabling.
UTP cables
The AMX system uses video technologies that compensate for the losses that
occur in all UTP cables. These technologies make the AMX compatible with
most UTP cable types and support AMX use in environments where there are
combinations of UTP cable types and patch panels. The AMX will function
correctly with any combination of CAT5, CAT5e and CAT6 cables.
NOTE: Throughout this manual, the generic term UTP refers to any CAT cable used by the
AMX system.
Safety Precautions
To avoid potential video and/or keyboard problems when using Avocent products:
• If the building has 3-phase AC power, ensure that the server and monitor
are on the same phase. For best results, they should be on the same circuit.
To avoid potentially fatal shock hazard and possible damage to equipment,
please observe the following precautions:
• Do not use a 2-wire extension cord in any Avocent product configuration.
• Test AC outlets at the server and monitor for proper polarity
and grounding.
• Use only with grounded outlets at both the server and monitor. When
using a backup Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), power the server, the
monitor and the AMX switch off the supply.
NOTE: The AC inlet is the main disconnect.
DC installation safety considerations
As a safety precaution, install this product in an area with limited or controlled
access. A readily accessible disconnect device that is suitably approved and
rated shall be incorporated in the field wiring. Connect field wiring from the 48
VDC power source to the screw terminals marked plus (+) and minus (-) on
the rear panel of the unit. Connect field wiring from earth ground to the screw
terminal marked with the ground symbol. Terminals will accommodate
wiring from 26 to 12 AWG (up to 2.5 mm2maximum cross section). Strip each
wire, insert it in the square opening in the terminal block and tighten the
screw above it to a maximum of 70 ounce-inches (0.5 Nm) using either a flat
or Phillips-head screwdriver.

8AMX Series Installer/User Guide
Rack mount safety considerations
• Elevated Ambient Temperature: If installed in a closed rack assembly, the
operation temperature of the rack environment may be greater than room
ambient. Use care not to exceed the rated maximum ambient temperature
of the unit.
• Reduced Air Flow: Installation of the equipment in a rack should be such
that the amount of airflow required for safe operation of the equipment is
not compromised.
• Mechanical Loading: Mounting of the equipment in the rack should be
such that a hazardous condition is not achieved due to uneven mechani-
cal loading.
• Circuit Overloading: Consideration should be given to the connection
of the equipment to the supply circuit and the effect that overloading of
circuits might have on overcurrent protection and supply wiring. Consider
equipment nameplate ratings for maximum current.
• Reliable Earthing: Reliable earthing of rack mounted equipment should
be maintained. Pay particular attention to supply connections other than
direct connections to the branch circuit (for example, use of power strips).

Contents
2
Installation
Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Installing an AMX System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Installing a Tiered AMX System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Configuring the AMX Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Configuring an AMX Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
FLASH Upgrading the AMX System . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Chapter 2: Installation 11
Chapter 2: Installation
The AMX system uses standard UTP cables to transmit keyboard, video and
mouse information between users and attached servers.
Getting Started
Before installing your AMX system, refer to the following lists to ensure that
you have all the items that shipped with the AMX system as well as other
items necessary for proper installation.
Supplied with the AMX switch
The following items are supplied with the AMX switch:
• AMX5000 or AMX5010 unit
• A local country power cord
• Rack mounting brackets
• A null modem cable
• AMX Series Installer/User Guide
• AMWorks software and user guide on CD
• AMX Series Quick Install Guide
Supplied with the AMX user station
The following items are supplied with the AMX user station:
• AMX5100, AMX5110 or AMX5120 user station
• A local country power cord
• AMX Series Quick Install Guide
Supplied with the AMIQ or AMIQ-SRL
The following items are supplied with the AMIQ or the AMIQ-SRL:
• AMIQ or AMIQ-SRL module
• AMIQ or AMIQ-SRL module Quick Install Guide
NOTE: An external power supply must be used to power the AMIQ-SRL.
Needed for installation
You will need the following components to install the AMX switch:
• UTP cables for each server and user station you plan to attach to the
AMX system
• One AMX5100, AMX5110 or AMX5120 user station per user
• One AMIQ per server or one AMIQ-SRL per serial device

12 AMX Series Installer/User Guide
Optionally you may need:
• AMWorks software available on the included CD and through download
from Avocent
Installing an AMX System
Figure 2.1 illustrates one possible configuration for your AMX switch.
Follow the detailed set of procedures following Figure 2.1 to install the
AMX system.
Figure 2.1: Basic AMX Configuration
WARNING: To reduce the risk of electric shock or damage to your equipment -
- Do not disable the power cord grounding plug. The grounding plug is an important safety feature.
- Plug the power cord into a grounded (earthed) outlet that is easily accessible at all times.
- Disconnect the power from the unit by unplugging the power cord from either the electrical
outlet or the unit.
AMX5000
AMIQ-SRL
Module
AMIQ
Module
AMX5110/
AMX5120
Local PC

Chapter 2: Installation 13
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49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64
910111213141516
Installing the AMX switch
The AMX switch is the central hub of your AMX system. All users and
computers are connected through it.
Figure 2.2: AMX5000 Switch
Figure 2.3: AMX5010 Switch
Rack mounting your AMX switch
You can either place your AMX switch on your rack shelf or rack mount your
unit into an EIA standard rack.
A rack mounting kit is supplied with each AMX. Before installing the switch
and other components in the rack, plan carefully to avoid uneven loading or
overloading of the rack.
CAUTION: Rack Loading - Overloading or uneven loading of racks may result in shelf or
rack failure, causing damage to equipment and possible personal injury. Stabilize racks in a
permanent location before loading begins. Mount components beginning at the bottom of the
rack, then work to the top. Do not exceed your rack load rating.
CAUTION: Power Considerations - Connect only to the power source specified on the unit.
When multiple electrical components are installed in a rack, ensure that the total component
power ratings do not exceed circuit capabilities. Overloaded power sources and extension
cords present fire and shock hazards.

14 AMX Series Installer/User Guide
Figure 2.4: AMX5000 Rack Mounting Diagram
Figure 2.5: AMX5010 Rack Mounting Diagram
To install the rack mounting bracket:
1. Remove the two side screws closest to the front from each side of your
AMX switch.
2. Line up the holes in the brackets with the holes on the sides of the
AMX switch.
3. Using the screws supplied with the rack mounting bracket, thread one
through each of the holes in the sides of the rack mount brackets and into
the AMX switch. Tighten them securely.
4. Install the AMX into your rack using the approved method of your
rack manufacturer.